Monday, November 28, 2011

Broadcast Yourself

Host John Heilemann gave us further insight on an additional segment for Download: The True Story of the Internet. People Power reflects on the power of the Internet and how social media has become a revolutionary. It emphasizes how extraordinary online communities are/have become over the years and how sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Napster surfaced. I enjoyed the interviews with various CEOs such as Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Chad Hurley( YouTube) and Shawn Fanning (Napster). I really liked Chad Hurley's philosophy behind the development of YouTube and how he believes everyone, "has the opportunity to be heard, have the power," with a platform such as YouTube. I knew YouTube was bought by Google for quite a bit of money but I had no clue it was a $1.65 billion dollar purchase (amazing). I also liked the comment of Digg's goal being "on the same plain as the New York Times and it's up to the people to decide the power".For those who have seen The Social Network, you got to see a fictional portrayal of the other co-founder of Napster, Shawn Parker (played by Justin Timberlake) but I really enjoyed hearing what Shawn Fanning had to say. I remember when Napster first came out and I remember seeing the MTV News segment of Metallica first filing a lawsuit with the company. I thought it was interesting hearing Shawn Fanning's recollection of that day and how he was such a fan of the band.It's extraordinary to me to think that was only a couple of years ago and to see the P2P downloading "phenomenon" that has developed since. It's also fascinating to me to see a simple idea explode such as Napster and Facebook and it gives someone like me, a soon-to-be college graduate, inspiration for the future. These entrepreneurs are perfect examples of how drive, ambition and a focus can get you far on the web. Communication is "constantly changing"and I'm excited to see what the future brings.